UCU climate and environment spring update

Become a green rep

We have updated the UCU green rep role profile to support members in understanding this role and the impact they can make by putting themselves forward to drive the environment agenda in their branches. The climate and ecological crisis is a workforce issue as we need to ensure a Just Transition is achieved in the process of shifting our education sector to meet the needs of people and planet. See the link here for the full green rep role profile.

UCU branch officer roles

Watch our 'Becoming a green rep' video to help deepen your understanding of what you can do and how you can do it by taking an active role in your union at a branch level. You will need to be voted in by your branch to become a green rep, then get in touch with the membership department to update this on our records.

Organising for Power: training and development

We are really keen to get together a group of UCU activists who are organising or seeking to organise towards a Green New Deal for colleges and universities to take part in the forthcoming Organising For Power training run by the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation and Jane McAlevey, renowned organiser and campaigner. This is a fantastic opportunity for UCU to bring together our climate campaigners in a team and link up with other trade union and climate activists internationally. Learn more about the program here, the deadline for registrations is Tuesday 3 May to join our global community organising to build the power required to win. If you are interested, please email us with O4P in the subject line, your name and branch.

New CPD offering: Democratising education - UCU Green New Deal

This interactive workshop explores the vision for democratising education as part of progressing a Green New Deal in education institutions. The focus is on why and how branch members can build for power to organise and campaign for democratic governance structures with a view to ensuring fair and just practices and decision making. See our fill list of climate and environment CPD offerings, including Democratising education here. Any of these CPD offerings can be delivered for your branches, just get in touch with the CPD team to enquire and organise.

The link between colonialism and the climate crisis

To address the climate crisis and the injustices associated with it, we need to fully understand its root causes and the systems that have led us to this. See this excellent article from one of our sister trade unions' Education Journals in New Zealand: NZEI Te Riu Roa by Conor Twyford, Walking backwards into our future. Here, Conor highlights the need to understand our past, to be able to effectively navigate the future. To request a Decarbonise and Decolonise CPD workshop for your branch, get in touch with the UCU training team.

University of Liverpool UCU branch Green New Deal - sign the petition!

The University of Liverpool branches of UCU, UNITE and UNISON and the Liverpool Guild of Students are calling for a Green New Deal at the university. Please support this petition by signing as either a University of Liverpool student or staff member, or as an 'outside supporter'. UCU have worked closely with University of Liverpool UCU branch to progress this and are keen to support other branches in replicated similar models for engaging with their employers on a Green New Deal.